A security guard’s actions are under investigation by police after he was recorded holding down and punching an Indigenous man at a downtown Winnipeg Dollarama store, sparking condemnation from First Nations leaders.
A video posted to Facebook on Saturday afternoon shows a guard straddling a man lying on a store’s floor, punching and at one point kicking him, pulling him upward and slamming him down again.
The guard is heard threatening to kill the man, whose jacket is pulled over his head as he tries to block the blows with his arms.
Police received reports about a robbery and a fight between a man and security at the Portage Avenue store around 1 p.m. Saturday, they said.
A 46-year-old man had tried to leave with $95 worth of items that he had hidden on him, police said. The 23-year-old security guard stopped him, prompting the altercation.
The 46-year-old was arrested by police and charged with robbery and uttering threats. The man was medically cleared and walked to police headquarters a block away after he was arrested, police said.
A video shows a Winnipeg Dollarama security guard punching and kicking a man on the ground. Impact Security says they will investigate the employee, who’s been removed from duty. The man who was punched faces charges of robbery and uttering threats. Warning: This video includes violence and profanity.
The security guard had minor injuries and didn’t need medical attention, a police spokesman said.
After video of the altercation was posted online and First Nations leaders called for an investigation, the Winnipeg police major crimes unit is investigating the actions of the security guard, police said in a news release Monday.
The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs and the Southern Chiefs’ Organization both sent out news releases Sunday, calling for an investigation of the security guard.
“It was just disgusting. I was appalled by what I saw in that video,” Grand Chief Kyra Wilson of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs said Sunday.
“There seems to be a metal object that’s being used. So, there needs to be an investigation.”
Although the man’s face isn’t seen, Wilson said it is an Indigenous man on the ground.
“We’re making sure that there are formal complaints that are going to take place,” Wilson said.
Guard removed from duty
The AMC is contacting police and Impact Security, the company name on the guard’s uniform, she said.
“We need to fully understand what has happened in that video. As a security guard, you have an obligation to keep everybody safe, and excessive force and assault is not a part of that.”
In a statement sent to CBC News, Impact Security Group said the guard in the video has been removed from active duty and “further action … will be decided after our investigation and consultation with his union.”
“We take these matters seriously as this is not consistent with our mission to provide safety and security in public settings,” the statement said.
A spokesperson for Dollarama, in an emailed statement to CBC News, said the company does not authorize the use of force in any situation.
Contracted security firms are required to uphold a standard “where everyone is treated with respect, regardless of the circumstances,” the email said.
Dollarama has “put the security firm on notice while we investigate why protocol was not followed, and we are fully co-operating with the authorities in their investigation,” the email said.
The Southern Chiefs’ Organization, which represents 33 Anishinaabe and Dakota Nations in southern Manitoba, is “raising urgent, serious concerns” and requesting a meeting with Justice Minister Matt Wiebe and the Winnipeg Police Service.
“Violence against our citizens demands a broad public response,” SCO Grand Chief Jerry Daniels said in a Sunday news release. “This incident is deeply disturbing.”
The organization also wants Impact Security to be held responsible for the incident and the province — as the regulating body for security licensing — to immediately launch a comprehensive review of training, standards and oversight for private security guards and in-store loss prevention personnel.
The review must examine use-of-force policies, “including whether weapons or hard objects are being authorized, carried, or informally tolerated,” the news release said.
A large group of people packed the sidewalk outside the Dollarama on Portage Avenue for a rally on Monday afternoon, with some taking the microphone to call for the security guard to be immediately fired and arrested.
“What we saw was not security, what we saw was not loss prevention. What we saw was a violent assault,” said Victor Mondaca, who said he holds a security guard licence himself.
“Violence like this is not part of security’s role,” he said.
Community members sang and drummed before moving into the street for a large round dance outside the store, which was temporarily closed on Monday.
Police ask anyone with information on the incident to call the major crimes unit at 204-986-6219. Anonymous tips can also be called in to Crime Stoppers at 204-786-8477 (TIPS) or submitted online through the website.
Protesters rally outside a Dollarama in downtown Winnipeg after a video circulating on social media showed a security guard kicking a man at the store. Impact Security, the firm employing the guard, say he has been removed from active duty while they investigate.
